Church WithOut Walls International-Europe
  • Home
    • Privacy Verklaring
  • DE
    • Weekly Thoughts (D) Wöchentliche Gedanken >
      • Weekly Thoughts (D) Wöchentliche Gedanken - PDF
  • EN
    • Weekly Thoughts >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS >
        • John's Monthly Newsletter
      • Weekly Thoughts serie in PDF format
    • About John Fenn
    • About Wil & Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Books written by Ank Kleinmeulman >
      • About Ank - author
  • ES
    • PENSAMIENTOS SEMANALES (Weekly Thoughts) John Fenn >
      • PENSAMIENTOS SEMANALES (PDF)
  • FR
    • Pensées Hebdomadaires
    • PDF à lire et/ou imprimer
    • A propos de John Fenn
    • A propos de Wil & Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Vidéo en anglais
    • Nous contacter
  • FI
    • Viikottaisia ajatuksia >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS / Viikottaisia ajatuksia
      • Weekly Thoughts / Viikottaisia ajatuksia - PDF
    • John Fennistä
    • TV7
  • L
    • LV
    • LT >
      • Weekly Thoughts (LT) Savaitės Mintys >
        • E-Book
      • Straipsniai >
        • Kaip mes suprantame, koks turi būti surinkimas
        • Krikštai
        • Kaip veikia 5 tarnavimo dovanos namų surinkimuose?
        • Grįžimas prie paprasto tikėjimo
        • Garbinimas
        • Namų surinkimai Naujajame Testamente
        • Išgelbėjimas
        • Tikėjimo išpažinimas
        • Kaip prasidėjo CWOWI?
        • Dažnai pasitaikantys klausimai
      • Video LT
  • NL
    • Weekly Thoughts - nederlands >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS (NL) Wekelijkse Gedachten >
        • Weekly Thoughts NL pdf
    • Over / bio van John Fenn
    • Over / bio Wil & Ank
    • Wat wij geloven
    • Onderwijs - MP3
    • Boeken van Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Doneren / gift overmaken?
    • Conferentie >
      • Conferentie LT - 2025
    • Artikelen >
      • Hoe “Church Without Walls International” is ontstaan
      • Hoe een samenkomst van een CWOW huisgemeente eruit ziet
      • Waarom samenkomen in een huis?
      • Wat is een huiskerk en een huiskerk netwerk?
      • HuisKerken: Waarom – Wat – en Hoe?
      • Ank deelt over Wat & Hoe van Huiskerken (VIDEO'S)
  • PL
  • PT
    • "O pensamento da semana em Português"
    • PT-pdf
  • RO
    • Gânduri săptămânale >
      • Gânduri săptămânale - PDF
  • RU
    • Джон Фенн
    • Сид Рот «Это сверхъестественно»
  • Donate
  • Events
    • Lithuania - 2025
  • TV
  • Contact
  • New Page

The Word of life which we have, 3 of 3, Honoring life

10/29/2022

0 Comments

 
Hi all,
There are several Greek words translated 'life' in the New Testament. For example, one is 'bios', which refers to physical life. It is the root of the words 'biology', and biography, which is the written (graph) life (bio) of someone. Another word translated life is 'anastrophe', which means a quality of life, a behavior of life. 
 
But, when talking about God's quality of life, we see the word 'Zoe' used, often combined with 'aionios', which means 'age-long' or 'eternal.'  
 
Zoe is the life that comes from God and is therefore self-existing and self-sustaining. 
To the world, we look like just another person and our lives look like 'bios', natural life. But residing in our spirit man we have the 'zoe aionois', life eternal - God's life. That life in our spirit which is self-sustaining and self-existent, is flowing out to and changing our soul - our mind, intellect, emotions - in a life-long process, flowing out to the world and people around us. 
 
Because our true life is eternally self-existent and self-sustaining, we should cherish what we have deep in our souls. It is a mystery to those on the outside who think we live by mere philosophy or believe superstition. 
 
The mystery of godliness
In I Timothy 3:9 and 3:16 Paul talks of the 'holding the mystery of godliness in a clear conscience' and 'great is the mystery of godliness'. That mystery of godliness involves the fact eternal life, Zoe, has recreated our spirit-man. It is a mystery to those on the outside, to those not in the body of Christ.
 
To others we are foolish, but to those who believe, the cross is the power of God. The word 'mystery' or in the Greek, 'musterion', does not mean something which cannot be known. It means something revealed by revelation. 
 
The word means something known after having been initiated into the mystery. In other words, it can only be known by revelation. For instance, before you were born again the Word of God made no sense to you. But once born again, which was your initiation into the kingdom, the mysteries of the kingdom of God were and continue to be revealed to you. Revelation knowledge is given by God to those who have been born into the family, adopted into the family of God. (Ephesians 1:3--5...)
 
Paul used this same root to describe how he lived. In Philippians 4:10-13 he thanks them for their financial support when he left there to go to Thessalonica (The end of Acts 16 and start of Acts 17). He tells them he wasn't coveting the gift, but was thankful for it. He made a statement that doesn't come across with the same dramatic tone that it does in the Greek, so allow me to write a Greek translation of v11-13:
 
"...I have learned this truth; I know how to be self-sufficient, independent of circumstances. I know how to be brought low, I know also how to abound. In everything and in all things I have been initiated into the mystery of how to abound while being full or hungry. That is: In all things I have strength in the One strengthening me." 
 
Most people know the King James Version which says; 
'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me', and take it to mean if they can just tough it out, if they can just hang on, if they can just try a little harder, God will come through for them. 
 
But that's not what it says. Paul is sharing his heart and life experience to the Philippians, and indeed his letter to them is his most intimate and revealing of all his letters. He shares how he has been initiated through a mystery, discovered in times of lack and times of abundance. That mystery is that eternal life in Christ makes him self-sufficient, independent of circumstances, for he can do all things through the one strengthening him. 
 
It is through the initiation into the mystery of eternal life that we learn our lives in Christ are in fact independent of any circumstance swirling around us. Our life in Him is not dependent nor affected by circumstance. It is eternal life, Zoe life, the eternal life of God which is self-sustaining. That's Life.
 
That is why towards the end of his life, the apostle John when writing his gospel and his first letter, of all the things he could have said of Jesus, chose to emphasize: "In Him was life, and that life is the light of men' and 'for the life was manifested'. 
 
Again, we need to realize that each one of us belong to a special 'club', as people who have been initiated into the mysteries of eternal life, the mysteries of godliness. When I was first saved I heard the term that the army of the Lord is the only army that shoots its wounded. That's so sad. 
 
When I sit in one of our house church meetings across the living room from someone, I look at them and see the grace of God - a fellow initiate into the eternal life of God and its mysteries. I esteem them for the life they have in Him and what He has done in their lives. Jesus loves them equally as He loves me. We are equals. 
 
In Galatians 2:9 Paul says that Peter, James, and John extended the hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas, when they 'perceived the grace in us'. These men had very different ministries, for the 3 were sent to the Jews while Paul and Barnabas were sent to Gentiles. Those differences could have divided them, but instead they esteemed one another for they perceived the grace in each other's lives. 
 
We must realize what we have when we say 'eternal life' and live in a way that esteems, respects, and cherishes that life. We should do all we can to protect that life, to not grieve the Holy Spirit. To actually apply long suffering and making allowances one for another. Love fulfills God's law, and it is easier to walk in love if you realize fellow believers have the same eternal life you do - they've been initiated into the mysteries of God. 
 
Of all that the Father has brought you through, from the start when you just wanted saved so you wouldn't go to hell or you needed rescued from some circumstance in your life, to now when you realize you have the life of God in your spirit, let us focus on that special fact. Let us focus on that unique truth among us, that in Jesus Christ is life, abundant life, the life that came from His Father, and He has given it to us. Wow, what amazing grace! 
 
New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

      John Fenn

      If you want to subscribe

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    RSS Feed

Church WithOut Walls International.eu (C) 2025
to donate
Photo from widakso